To be honest some of this is probably about Exhibitionism based BD/SM. Note the studded black leather support belt thing and black mask. It seemed obvious to me but noone mentioned it so maybe it's not obvious.

silly depends on why you might have an interest in doing it. For me I think the driving factors for wanting to try this is the thought that I "have to". When I see something like this I feel like I'm probably going to have to endure something as harsh and similar at some point in my life- so I want to get it over with so I know I can do it. This is why I never watched the Daniel Pearl video- I would feel like one day I'm probably going to be decapitated, and the anxiety of getting it over with would kill me. I understand that most people don't think like this.

So yes maybe it is "silly"

If you do it regularly you will get a lot of scarring, which I noticed on many participants (marks of honor for them), but having just done it just once, I am not able to find the entry points on my calves, though I can't say for my back and thighs (I am at work). If there are they are very faint after 4 years.

Skin is very strong, and the practitioners do a lot of rigging with the frame you hang from before they actually hoist you up to make sure the weight is evenly distributed. Your skin ends up stretching so much, that after they remove the hooks, they have to massage out the air that gets in the piercings while you are hanging. This feels quite strange.

I have a look over on BME everynow and then to see some of this, personally, i'd like to try it.

There was a chap who did a suspension with two hooks going through his feet. Through the middle of his feet. It was the first one that made me wince.

I agree with bannedindc it sucks, a few people I know who did it or tried it, all of which are idiots

and if its something to do not to get noticed then do it behind closed doors and just have the right people there to help you as I can imagine its hard to do it yourself, but like I said the people I know where like 'look at me I am scary and alternative' nope your a plum

I think the problem is that the smaller groups who do this behind closed doors, and likely have more of the ritualistic intention in what they are doing are not running about trying to recruit new participants, they are insular and like it that way, where as those who are fed from the attention run around bragging about it. "OMG dude it's so fucking sick, totally spiritual and shit, you gotta try it!!!" I unfortunately haven't ever met anyone who has done it who isn't a geek about it. I can't imagine anyone wanting to be a geek about that when they could be an toy geek, what with it getting me laid so much.

I think if you feel a strong desire to do this for whatever reason, you should do it. It doesn't matter if it was at the height of its popularity a decade or 15 years ago, If you're just getting into it now it's new to you.

As opposed to people posting images of all the toys the own on the internet for other people to gawk at and say "you are cool"?